Helplines for Drugs and Alcohol
Anyone can suffer from addiction, and alcohol and drug misuse are two of the most common types. Either can seriously affect your work, education, home life and relationships, so it is important to seek help as soon as possible. Addiction can take different forms, and the help below can support you to recognise your own behaviours, triggers and how your alcohol or drug use affects you, and the people who care about you.
Helplines can be a great way to talk to someone who is impartial and an expert, and there will be very little they will not have heard of before. You can contact most helplines by phone, but there are also some options to contact them by email, text message or other forms of instant messaging through their website, and it’s best to find the option you are most comfortable with.
Below you can find a list of the best Scotland and UK helplines for alcohol and drugs.
Drinkline
Drinkline is a free, confidential national helpline for people who are concerned about their own or somebody else’s drinking.
CONTACT – Phone 0300 1231110 (9am-8pm Mon-Fri; 11am-4pm Sat-Sun)
(Calls to 0300 numbers are free)
Talk to Frank
Frank is an online service for those experiencing addictions with drugs. They have a variety of information on types of drugs, what to do in an emergency and much more. You can simply contact FRANK for a basic question on drugs or for a crisis situation and anything in between.
CONTACT – Phone 0300 123 6600 (all day, every day) – Text 82111 – Email Frank | FRANK (talktofrank.com)
(Calls to 0300 numbers are free)
Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs
“Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs is a national charity that supports anyone concerned about someone else’s alcohol or drug use in Scotland. We give listening support and information to many people and help them with confidence, communication, general wellbeing, and we link them into local support.”
You can also search for local support groups through their website.
CONTACT – Phone 08080 10 10 11 (helpline available 9am-11pm Mon-Fri) Email – helpline@sfad.co.uk
(Calls to 0808 numbers are free)
Al-Anon
For those who have been affected by someone else’s drinking.
“Through self-supporting, confidential meetings, Al-Anon members come together to share their experiences and draw on one another's strength as they work to solve their common problems. Al-Anon has one purpose: to help the families and friends of alcoholics.”
Al-Anon have Family Groups that provide support to anyone whose life is, or has been affected by someone else’s drinking, regardless of whether that person is still drinking or not.
CONTACT – Phone - 0800 0086 811 (helpline available 10am - 10pm, 365 days a year)
(Calls to 0800 numbers are free)
Anonymous Groups
There are anonymous groups for alcohol and drugs available across Scotland through the organisations below. They have developed a 12-step model of recovery helping thousands of people recover from various addictions and / or regular substance misuse. Attending groups can also help keep you on the path of recovery once you have taken the first steps. You can find a group quickly by typing in your postcode onto their websites.
CONTACT
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – Phone - 0800 9177 650 (all day, every day) Email - help@aamail.org.
Website: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/AA-Meetings/Find-a-Meeting/scotland
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) – Phone – 0300 9991212 (10am – midnight, every day)
Website: https://meetings.ukna.org/